22 RKPORTS OF SOOIKTIES. 



affinis, and decipiens, Sisyrinchinm Bermudumum, Potainogeton spnroanifoliiis, 

 linearis, and mtena, Euplwrhia hiberna, Naias flexilis, Spiranthes gemmipara, 

 Isoi'tes ecMnospora, &c. December 7th. — Professor Westwoort, F.L.S., in 

 the chair. The Hon. Sec. (Mr. G. C. Druce), after reading the minutes 

 and correspondence, announced tliat the papers promised for next 

 term included notes on the Goldrmeh, and tlie Fauna of Auvergne, the Flora of 

 Ross and Cromarty, the Birds of Nortli Oxfordshiie, &c. — Professor Westwood 

 then drew attention to a number of insects injurious to cereal crops, such as 

 the Wireworm, describing their life-history, etc., especial attention being 

 directed to an Oat Fly, only recently noticed in England, which had proved most 

 destructive to a crop of oats, ahnost every kernel being eaten up and its place 

 filled by the pupa of one of the oat flies. Professor Westwood suggested a plan 

 to prevent its increase, andexhil3itedsi:)ecimens of the fly and the oats damaged 

 V)y it. — Mr. E. B. Poulton then gave a lecture on his ex)iIoration during the long 

 vacation of Dowker Bottom Cave, in Craven, Yorkshire, a sectional diagram 

 being shown to illustrate it. Mr. Poulton first sketched the history of the cave 

 and its previous working, and then a detailed description of the various passages 

 and cliambers, and tlie means of egiess, etc. .\fter dividing the second chamber 

 into square yards by means of wire, they commenced excavating the floor, the 

 contents of each square yard worked being most carefully examined (as 

 instanced by finding the teeth of a fleld-mouse) and the bones, etc.labelled at once, 

 so that it was known from which particular square yard of the cave it was brouglit. 

 So the work went on down through thick tenacious yellow clay, in which were 

 embedded huge boulders, which had apparently dropjied from the roof above 

 into the shallow lake which once occupied the chamber. In this thick clay but 

 few bones were found, and the workers were continually bothered by permanent 

 springs being tapped, and it was only after an immense amount of labour had 

 been carried on that they reluctantly gave up for the season the search for the 

 solid stone floor which some geologists said it possessed. Mr. Poulton exhibited 

 some dozens of specimens found in the clay and talus, such as bones of pigs, 

 slieep, very small, even smaller than the Shetland sheep, rock-pigeon not found 

 at the present time near Craven, and many other interesting relics of post-Roman . 

 times. Of Roman and pre-Roman relics there were brooches, pot boilers, slabs 

 of micaceous sandstone for baking bread, British pottery, Samian ware, flint 

 weapons, etc., all pointing to its occupation by mankind in early days. 



PETERBOROUGH N.VTURAL HISTORY, SCIENTIFIC, & .'IRCH.EOLOGI- 

 CAL SOCIETY.— November 8th.— Ordinary Meeting in the Museum, when an 

 address was given by Mr. Yates Aston, on " Geological Evidence of Life on the 

 Globe." November 22nd. — Soiree at Orton Hall, the residence of the Mai'chioness- 

 Dowager of Huntly. Amongst those jiresent were the Marchioness-Dowager of 

 Huntly, Lord and Lady Granville Gordon, Lady Elena and Lady Ethel Gordon, 

 Professor and Miss Tylor, J. Pickover and Miss Pickover, of Wisbech. During 

 the evening Professor Tylor, F.R.S., delivered an address on the " Roman 

 Remains of this and other Neighbourhoods," of which the following is an 

 abstract. He said he was to a certain extent taking the place of his friend, Mr. 

 Skertchley, who was unable to be present, and who, in referring to the Fen 

 country, had followed somewhat the lines he (the lecturer) had before laid down 

 that they could not explain the formation of the Fens unless they attributed 

 it to a very wet period, during which the gravel and the soil accumulated. He 

 calculated that there must have been at one time as much as 300 inches of rain, 

 that tlie rivers were of enormous size, and that immense deposits of gi-avel 

 were formed under conditions very difl'erent from any we had experienced in the 

 present day. Near Orton the Nene was, no doubt, formerly very wide, probably 

 half-a-mile in width, and the existing gravelly soil which contained so many 

 remains was, no doubt, the result of that period. It must have taken a river of 

 great expanse to have formed the large beds of stones with which they were 

 familiar. In Lady Huntly's collection there were a gi-eat many specimens of 



